Time Off

“Look, the dolphins are following us!” yells one ­passenger onboard the Amazon Clipper Premium, as we sail down Brazil’s Rio Negro back to the port city of Manaus. Diving in and out of the water, Pink River dolphins play their version of hide and seek. Are these the same dolphins we petted at the riverside feeding station a few miles back?

Thanks to a new crop of ultra-premium tequilas, this complex spirit no longer wears the frat-boy clothes of yore. Tequila can now be sipped and savored, in the same way you’d enjoy single-malt scotch or fine wine. Tequila types range from blanco (“white,” unaged, light and smooth) to extra añejo (“ultra-aged” for at least three years in oak barrels).

I sit in the fighting chair aboard the 33-foot charter sport-fishing boat Reel Addiction, mesmerized by the churning wash of a stream of white bubbles into the clear, sapphire-blue South Pacific Ocean. Behind and above me on the bridge, at the helm, is skipper Steve Campbell, a 60-year-old tanned and sinewy ex-New Zealander.

Welcome to Business Jet Traveler’s second annual Book of Lists, where you'll learn about the world's strangest hotel suites, John Travolta's favorite airplanes, how to pick a worthwhile charity, trips that could change your life and much more.

BJT readers—who represent one of the highest-net-worth magazine audiences anywhere—clearly have the means to contribute to a better world. To help you do that, we’re spotlighting one deserving organization per issue.

Quote/Unquote

“[New billionaires in fast-growing countries] have to buy longer-range airplanes. If you’re flying from Mongolia to Nigeria, it’s either a three-day journey flying commercial or a nine-hour flight on your jet.”